


A "Miracle" Cure

by Treekianthia



Series: "Miracle Cure" [1]
Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bravely Default Spoilers, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 23:38:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14862494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/Treekianthia
Summary: Edea wakes up at a weird hour to find that things are a bit off on the Grandship. When she goes to investigate, she’s greeted by Ringabel, who isn’t acting like his normal self. Trying to figure out what’s wrong, Edea does a little investigating and gets a bit more involved than she ever expected to be. Warning: Contains reference of Suicide and Alcoholism. (Fic Archive: 11/22/15)





	A "Miracle" Cure

**Author's Note:**

> The following fic was originally posted to outside sources on 11/22/15. It is being posted here for archival purposes and to help document my progress as a writer. More info on myself and my works can be found on my tumblr blog woodland-knight.

It was a little after 2 am when Edea woke up. Her room was completely covered in darkness, minus a few areas that were illuminated by a faint stream of moonlight coming in through her window, and she could barely see a thing. She wasn't sure what it was that prompted her to wake up at such a ridiculous hour, but she knew she wasn't very happy about it. She and her friends had been working themselves to the bone in order to try and save the world from some unknown evil, so sleep was something she desperately needed to get enough of. If she wasn't getting enough sleep, she wouldn't be of any use to her friends and could accidentally put them in harm's way, which was something she desperately didn't want to do.

Unfortunately, as the group continued traveling through what felt like an endless amount of worlds, each one being harder than the last, a good night of sleep had become a rarity for all of them. She and her friends had all worked themselves to exhaustion before, and it wasn't something they had wanted to do on a regular basis. It was nice actually having a break for once, but Edea was frustrated she couldn't fully enjoy it. As she laid in bed, she could feel some of the pains from her previous battles start to flare up again, and hoping they would die down quickly, she forced herself relax. However, the memories of these battles had made her restless, and the storm she heard brewing in the distance didn't help her relax much either.

Sitting up, Edea sleepily looked around her dark room and tried to see if something inside had woken her, but even with the bit of light and some time to let her eyes adjust, she still couldn't clearly make anything out. In the end, she figured it was probably the storm in the distance that had done it, but something in her gut was telling her that it was something bigger. She had doubts something had snuck into her room though, and she ultimately decided it was her imagination playing tricks on her due to the lack of sleep. Ignoring the feeling in her gut, she laid back down and tried her best to get back to sleep. She figured the gentle rocking of the ship on the waves would be enough to lull her back into a land of sweet dreams.

_ Wait a minute... The Grandship isn't supposed to be on the water. _

Jumping out of bed, Edea quickly grabbed a blanket and headed outside. Ringabel had promised he'd fly through the night to get them to their destination on time, and if the ship wasn't in the air or on dry ground, something must have been going on. It wouldn't have been the first time something like this had happened though, since Ringabel had started to make a habit of making mysterious late night stops, but the nagging feeling in Edea's gut wasn't going away. She was starting to worry that something bad had happened to him.

In her rush out to the deck, Edea tried her best not to trip over her blanket, but as she kept moving faster it was getting more difficult for her to not step on it. Even though she had most of the blanket trailing behind her, it was still managing to get in her way. Right before she reached her destination, she managed step on the bottom edge of it, which caused her to lose her balance and slip. She could just barely make out a familiar laugh as she face-planted into the wood of the deck.

"She's beauty, she's grace, she's going to have a huge bruise on her face," Ringabel teased as he went over and helped Edea back onto her feet. It was easy enough for her to see him under the light of the moon, though with hair like his she could probably still see him on the darkest of nights. She could tell something was off with him though, but she wasn't sure what.

"Mrgrgr... That's not funny, Ringabel!" she complained while rubbing her nose. She was pretty sure it wasn't bleeding, but it was stinging and causing her a lot a pain. She hoped it wasn't broken.

"I'm only teasing you, Edea," Ringabel told her while wiping some dirt off her cheek and checking her nose. "Your nose looks fine and you're as adorable as always, and there's no sign of anything being broken."

"Good, because if anything was it would be your fault!" she whined while continuing to rub her nose. Ringabel was taken aback by her sudden accusation.

"And why do you say it would be my fault, sweet Edea? It was the blanket that assaulted you," Ringabel pointed out while acting a bit overdramatic. Edea bopped the side of his head to get him to stop.

"I ran out in a rush because you had me worried! I thought something bad had happened to you when I felt that the Grandship was on the water!" she nagged. Ringabel started to look pleased with himself upon hearing she was worried about him.

"Is that really what brought you out here so late, Edea?" Ringabel asked with a raised eyebrow. "I would have never of thought that worrying over me would wake you!"

Edea shook her head and sighed. "Something else woke me up, but I wasn't able to figure out what. I only came out here because of the fact the Grandship was on the water and wanted to make sure everything was okay," she explained while adjusting her blanket. "It's annoying, since this means I'll probably be a big, grumpy mess in the morning due to the lack of sleep... Though I'm doing a good job being one right now, but it's good to know you're okay."

Ringabel couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her comment. "Oh, my dear Edea! I'm sure even with a lack of sleep and a giant bruise, you will still be as beautiful as always!" he once again teased. He still seemed pleased with himself for prompting Edea to come out and check on him, and it was getting annoying.

Edea huffed and wrapped her blanket tighter around herself. She currently had more important things to deal with than Ringabel's teasing, such as finding out why he didn't have the Grandship in the air right now. If something bad really was happening she had the right to know, but Ringabel didn't seemed to be bothered by anything at all. He was still his normal happy self, though a bit too happy if you asked her, and she didn't see any reason for him to not be flying right now. There had to be something going on though if Ringabel had broken his promise, and she had to find out what.

"So why are we on the water?" Edea asked as casually as she could. She didn't need Ringabel to know she was still worried about him, or else he'd probably keep teasing her. Ringabel shrugged and shook his head.

"I needed a break from flying, so I put the Grandship down in the water for a bit. It's a bit shaky, but it won't be for that long so it shouldn't do any damage to the ship," he explained. As logical as it was, Edea found his explanation to be a bit odd, though a shaky aquatic landing could also explain why she had woken up at such a weird hour.

"Why didn't you just put it on auto-pilot? It would have made things easier on you, and we'd still be moving," she mentioned while looking out at the sea. The waves were calmer than she was use to seeing, and she had to admit with the night sky did look pretty, even with the storm in the distance. Perhaps the view was why Ringabel had decided to set the ship down in the first place.

"I thought... It would be safer if the ship was down for now," Ringabel admitted while avoiding Edea's gaze. He seemed to be a bit more defensive now, and Edea wasn't sure what was going on. She felt if she kept pressing though she would soon get the answer she was looking for.

"Safer? What do you mean by that? You've used auto-pilot before, and it's never caused any problems," she told him while trying to get him to look back to her. Ringabel gave her a quick look before looking back out at the sea again.

"It's rather hard for me to explain, Edea. I think for now it would be best for you to go back to bed. I promise you we'll be where we need to be in the morning," he tried to convince her. His tone was more serious now, and Edea wasn't sure what was going on. He didn't normally act this way around her.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ringabel? You're acting a bit weirder than normal," Edea cautiously asked. Ringabel looked tense and on edge.

"Are you implying I always act weird?" Ringabel asked in response. He had become a bit snarky as well, and Edea was a bit surprised.

"Well, yes.. I mean no! I mean... Look, Ringabel, you're just not acting like yourself!" Edea tried to explain. Ringabel shook his head and leaned over the ship's railing slightly.

"I'm fine, Edea. Now please go back to bed. I have something I need to get back to," he told her. Edea had no desire to go back to bed though; Ringabel was acting too weird for her to feel comfortable doing so.

"Why don't we go put the ship on auto-pilot and both go to bed?" Edea suggested. "You can do whatever you need to do in the morning!"

Ringabel looked at her with a smile and shook his head again. "Now dear Edea! I appreciate all this lovely concern you have for me, but I can promise you I'm fine!" he assured her. His mood had drastically changed from serious back to being ridiculous, and it was a bit strange.

"...you really sure you're okay, Ringabel?" Edea asked once more. She wasn't sure what was more concerning, his sudden serious nature or the dramatic mood whiplash.

"Yes, Edea! I'm fine, now run off and go back to bed!" he reassured her while getting off the railing. Adjusting her blanket, Edea admitted defeat.

"Fine, fine... I'm going!" she whined while starting to head off. "Just make sure we're in Florem before morning!"

"Of course, Edea! I'll make sure to get back to flying once I'm done!" Ringabel told her while stretching his arms. Edea sighed and continued on her way, but stopped when she realized something was off. She could smell the faintest hint of alcohol, and it didn't take her long to figure out why.

"...you've been drinking!" she yelled while turning around and making her way back to Ringabel. She had definitely known something was wrong, but she wasn't expecting him to be drunk! Furious, Edea looked around for any signs of the alcohol he had been consuming.

"I... Edea! Please calm down! If you're not careful you'll wake the others up!" Ringabel tried to reason with her. Edea just shook her head and kept searching.

"Honestly, Ringabel! You're more concerned about that than the fact you could have crashed the ship if you went back to flying!? God, you're even stupider when drunk!" she complained. A moment later she noticed something in the corner of her eye, and sure enough she had finally managed to spot a few bottles tucked away in a dark corner where they'd normally be hard to see. Ringabel tried his best to block off her view of them but was a bit shaky on his feet. The fact the waves had started to pick up with the oncoming storm wasn't helping him keep his balance either.

"Edea, I'm not drunk right now!" he said in attempts to get himself off the hook. Edea, however, just pushed him out of the way and took the bottles out of their hiding place. The light of the moon caused small glints to reflect off of them.

"The amount of alcohol here says otherwise!" Edea pointed out while trying to hold her grip through her blanket. "There's no way you're not drunk if you had all of this in one sitting, and even if you didn't, there's no way I'm letting you fly until I know you're sober!"

"Believe it or not, Edea, my alcohol tolerance is ridiculously high. It takes more than that to get me drunk, and I understand the academy is big on "don't drink and fly", but I promise you I can still pilot," Ringabel said in attempts to defend himself, but it only frustrated Edea more.

"How did you even get a hold of this stuff!? The Proprietress won't give you any until you can prove you're at least 21, and you can't do that or Airy will start to get suspicious about how much you actually remember!" Edea shouted, uncaring of if she woke up the others. This was the a serious issue and she needed answers now.

Ringabel tried his best to stay calm despite Edea's shouting. "You seem to have forgotten I was the first one to master the thief asterisk," he reminded her. "It becomes much easier to obtain if you know where it's hidden."

"YOU STOLE IT!?" Edea shrieked in disbelief. Ringabel had to cover his ears to prevent himself from getting a headache, but he ended up having to uncover them again in order to grab a hold of something. The waves had started to become more violent, and he was struggling even more to keep his balance. He could now see that Edea was shaking with anger, and it was starting to scare him. He hoped she didn't start yelling again.

"Edea, please... Don't make this a bigger mess than it needs to be! I can always just replace what I've taken before she notices!" Ringabel told her, but Edea didn't look convinced.

"And what makes you think she hasn't already noticed!?" Edea asked, the anger in her voice causing it to crack a bit. Ringabel was feeling a bit sheepish now but wouldn't back down.

"Even if she has noticed, she hasn't brought it up! I mean, if she hasn't mentioned it in these past few months-" he tried to explain, but Edea cut him off.

"This has been going on for how long!? Ringabel, you're going to become an alcoholic! I don't care how high your tolerance is, this needs to stop!" Edea demanded while stomping her foot on the ground. Ringabel was amazed by the fact the violent rocking of the ship didn't disturb her, but chalked it up to her being too angry to notice.

"Edea, please just listen to me! There's so much more to this that you don't understand, and yelling at me won't make things any better!" Ringabel pleaded, but Edea had reached a breaking point.

"RINGABEL, YOU'RE BEING AN IDIOT! YOU'RE GOING TO END UP KILLING YOURSELF AT THIS RATE!" she cried out in a fit of frustration. She had unknowingly thrown the bottles from her hands, only realizing it when she heard the loud crashing of the glass breaking nearby. Ringabel looked at her, a sad smile on his face, and didn't even attempt to defend himself from her accusations. Lightning flashed in the near distance and Edea could now see Ringabel had a look of sorrow in his eyes; one so sad and lonely that she couldn't even make eye contact with him without getting upset. She knew what she said was hurtful and she wish she had been more careful, but Ringabel seemed to be taking her words as a fatal blow.

"...that would be nice, wouldn't it?" Ringabel quietly asked while looking at the ocean. Edea let out a small gasp and was left speechless. It took her a bit before she could finally find the right words to respond with.

"I... Ringabel, no... I wasn't trying to say... I... Ringabel, that would be terrible!" she managed to choke out. Ringabel shook his head and continued looking out at the ocean. It had become calm again despite the oncoming storm.

"Stop it, Edea... Just stop it," Ringabel demanded. His voice was low and harsh, and he looked about ready to cry. Hoping to calm him down, Edea gently took a hold of his hand.

"I'm sorry, Ringabel... I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just that drinking this much isn't healthy for you!" she told him. Ringabel snatched his hand away and refused to look at her.

"You don't understand, Edea... Nobody does! Just... Leave me alone!" he snapped, a few tears streaming down his cheeks. There was another flash of lightning in the distance and the waves started to rock the ship again, but neither of them seemed to notice.

Edea wasn't sure what she could say to Ringabel at this point, but she definitely didn't want to leave him by himself. She knew if she left him alone something bad was bound to happen to him, and she couldn't fathom the idea of how much guilt she would have to deal with. Staying by his side was her best option, even if she wasn't sure what she was going to do. She had never had to deal with something like this before, and it was a bit overwhelming for her. She wanted to help him though, and she was willing to sacrifice sleep to do so.

"Ringabel, just talk to me... Tell me what's going on!" Edea begged while moving a bit closer. Ringabel, however, stepped away from her.

"I said leave me alone, Edea..." Ringabel once again told her. There was a bit of anger in his voice and he was shaking. Edea didn't like where this was going one bit.

"Ringabel, please..." Edea continued to beg while trying to move closer again. "Tell me why you started doing this, what's causing you to drink so much... I want to understand! Something is wrong, and I want to help you!"

"YOU CAN'T HELP ME!" Ringabel suddenly snapped back while pushing Edea down. She ended up tipping backwards and falling onto her side. Her landing had been painful, but she could still hear that Ringabel was now completely in tears. She was in shock he would even do such a thing to her, but she knew it had been caused by his current emotional state.

Edea had to take minute to let the pain stop before sitting back up, and when she managed to she could see how big of a mess Ringabel had become. He was kneeling down on the ground and holding himself tightly, and she was a bit worried he was going to puncture his own skin. His hair was losing it's normal shape and becoming a tangled mess, and his eyes were wide open as if he had gone into shock. Edea knew he must have been mentally beating himself up for what he had just done to her, and she had to do something to calm him down. She just wasn't sure if he would finally listen to her or push her away again.

Standing back up and making her way over, Edea took her blanket off and put it over Ringabel's shoulders. He was mumbling an apology to her over and over under his breath, and his shaking had become a bit more violent.

"Ringabel... I know you didn't mean to hurt me.. I'm okay, but... I want you to take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong..." she told him while kneeling down and wrapping her arms around him. He was cold and tense, almost as if he were lifeless, and he was still mumbling his apology like a broken record. Edea tightened her embraced in hopes it would bring him some warmth and comfort, and he held onto her as if he were a frightened child. She had never seen him like this before, and it honestly frightened her.

Seeing as Ringabel wasn't ready to talk, Edea stayed silent as he continued to sob in her arms. The waves had once again calmed back down, but the storm was getting closer. As the ship gently rocked back and forth, Edea felt herself start to relax. She hoped it had the same affect on Ringabel, and sure enough, his apologies soon turned into nothing more than muffled sobs and his shaking had mostly stopped. She knew if she waited long enough he'd either open up to her or fall asleep, but she wasn't going to push him to do either. Much to her surprise though, she didn't have to wait long before one of the events occurred.

"It... It hurts, Edea..." he whimpered while clinging to her. "It hurts so much... I can barely take it..."

"What hurts, Ringabel? Did something happen? Who hurt you?" Edea gently asked in attempts to keep him calm, but he just clung to her tighter and let out a few more small sobs.

"Ev... Everything hurts, Edea... Just being alive... It hurts so much... I want the pain to go away... I want it all to stop...!" Ringabel choked out. Edea brushed her fingers through his hair in an attempt to bring him comfort. It had lost its shape completely now, so she pulled it back to keep it out of his eyes.

"I'm here for you, Ringabel... You can tell me why it hurts so much... I'm here to listen to you," she assured him. He felt so small and weak in her arms, and she was a bit worried she was going to break him.

"I-it helps me.. The drinking helps me, Edea... It makes the pain go away... It makes me forget all of my suffering..." he admitted to her. His tears were starting to well up again, and Edea wiped them away as the fell.

"You don't have to suffer anymore, Ringabel... I'm going to help you... I'm going to be here for you," she tried to reassure him, but Ringabel was still shaking and crying.

"It's not that easy, Edea...! Everyday I'm haunted.. Plagued by painful memories! You don't understand, Edea! None of you can understand!" he cried out. His sobs were becoming more violent again, and Edea thought he was going to be sick. There was another flash of lightning and a loud bang of thunder above. The storm was about to hit, and Edea knew she had to get Ringabel calm and inside before it got too bad.

"Ringabel... Talk to me. Tell me everything, even if you don't think I'm going to understand... I want to know..." she pleaded. "I want you to open up to me... Don't close me out like Alt-"

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Ringabel suddenly barked, shocking Edea. She wasn't sure how to respond at first, but she had to be more careful with what she said. She sat in silence for another moment, listening to Ringabel's whimpering before trying to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Ringabel... I shouldn't have said that..." Edea quietly apologized, but Ringabel had covered his ears during her silence and couldn’t hear her.

"I want to forget him.. I want to forget Alternis Dim! All of his memories, I want them to go away, Edea! I want to forget, I want to end it!" he yelled through tears. Edea went silent again, and she could feel a few tears stream down her own cheeks. Her mind started to cloud with thoughts of losing Ringabel and it made her tears fall faster. She was at a loss of what to do and just wished there was some way for her to magically make his pain stop.

Edea kept Ringabel close to her as she tried to at least think of something to ease his pain, even just a little bit. She could feel him trying to loosen her grip, but she continued to hold him in a tight embrace. His words still rang in her ear like a beating drum and her own eyes had started to sting from all of the crying. She had to try something, anything, to make sure he stayed with her or else she felt she'd lose him forever. Hoping she was doing the right thing, Edea took Ringabel's hands and made sure he was listening to her.

"Ringabel..." she tried to say in a comforting voice. "Tell me how I can help you... Tell me how I can make sure I don't accidentally hurt you..."

Ringabel stared at her in shock, and Edea started to worry she had made things even worse. "No... No no no, Edea... You could never hurt me.. You are the only good thing in my world of pain..." Ringabel told her while holding her hands tight. Edea felt a knot start twisting up in her gut and she could tell Ringabel was reaching the edge of his emotional limit.

"I'm... I just want to help..." Edea quietly stated while refusing to make eye contact. "I just... Don't know what do, Ringabel... I... I'm sorry..."

Edea's tears had turned into full blown sobs and the knot in her stomach started to make her feel nauseous. She was still wanting to find some way to make Ringabel feel better, but knew things would just get worse if she kept asking. Something inside her was starting to make her think that just being there with him was part of the problem, but she knew suggesting it would probably cause Ringabel to snap. Both of them were now sobbing messes, and with each of Edea's tears the knot in her stomach became tighter. Looking back at Ringabel, she noticed he looked as if he had lost all sense of himself.

"You are the only good thing in my world of pain..." Ringabel muttered again while continuing to hold Edea's hands. His gaze had lowered and he had become as pale as Edea, who wrapped her arms around him again and tried her best to fix things.

"I'm here, Ringabel... I'm here to help you.. I'm here to be the good that takes away your pain..." she told him in a low voice, but his expression didn't change and he continued to mumble; it was like he had become a shell of his former self. Edea couldn't stand seeing him like this.

"You're the only good thing..." Ringabel muttered once again. Edea was worried he was losing his grip on reality and knew she had to snap him out of it quickly.

"Look at me, Ringabel..." she said in another attempt to help him. "Let me dry your tears and take you to get a cup of coffee... I'll make everything better..."

There was silence for another moment, but Ringabel quickly broke it. "Edea..? Will you really...?" He quietly asked her, much to her relief. He didn't sound like himself though, yet Edea still nodded her head and wiped away a few tears.

"Yes, Ringabel... I'm here. Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm here for you," she told him. She was hoping this meant she had made it through to him.

Her words seemed to have at least brought him some sort of comfort, as Ringabel looked at Edea for a moment before leaning up against her. She could see he had come back to his senses, even if it was only a little bit, and gave him a light pat on the top of his head. She noticed a few more tears fall down his cheek, so she gently wiped them away. He had stopped talking, but Edea was glad to at least have him in a more stable mental state. She felt the knot in her stomach loosening up.

"You're going to be okay, Ringabel.. Everything is going to be okay," she gently whispered. Ringabel gave a small nod but continued to say nothing. Edea knew it was probably better he stayed quiet for now.

The two sat on deck for what felt like an eternity to Edea, saying nothing but staying in each other's arms. When she felt the rain finally start falling she slowly got up and helped Ringabel to his feet. Even though his tears had finally stopped, he was still visibly upset. Taking his hand, Edea led him to the bridge as fast she could. She didn't want to risk either of them getting too wet and getting sick.

When they entered the bridge, Edea made Ringabel sit down in a small chair they had bought him to sleep in when he wasn’t piloting. Trying her best to smile, Edea adjusted the blanket and sat down on the floor in front of him. Ringabel didn't seem to want to make eye contact with her.

"You didn't get too wet, did you..?" Edea tried asking to break his silence. Ringabel just shook his head and continued to look away from her. Edea knew he probably still didn't want to talk, but she tried again anyway. "Do you need anymore blankets? It's kind of cold..." she mentioned before trailing off. She was trying her best to not get upset again.

".....can you sit with me, Edea?" Ringabel quietly asked, catching Edea off guard. Not wanting to mess things up again, Edea quickly got back onto her feet.

"Yes, of course, Ringabel!" she told him while scooting next to him. The chair wasn't really made for two people, but it would have to do. She felt Ringabel wrap part of the blanket around her as she tried her best to make herself comfortable, but it was hard being squished between him and the arm of the chair. She noticed he had become warmer though, and she hoped it was a sign he was starting to feel better. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he broke down again.

"I'm... I'm sorry you have to see me like this..." Ringabel quietly told her. He didn't show any signs of crying again, but his voice still sounded as if he were in tears. Edea gently placed her hand on his.

"I told you, I'm here for you, Ringabel. I don't care if you're a mess, I just want to know you're okay," she reminded him. Ringabel took her hand and squeezed it, and for a brief second he glanced at her.

"I've... Calmed down, but... This isn't something that's just going to go away, Edea. All the pain I feel, it's going to keep coming back, and I have to continue to suffer through it each time..." he told her. Edea leaned up against him and held his hand tight.

"And I'm going to be here for you each time it does come back, Ringabel," she promised. "You're not alone anymore, you have friends who care about you and will listen to you when you feel like this."

Ringabel swallowed a bit. "I just want this to be between you and me, Edea... I don't want to burden the others with this right now..." he requested. Edea wasn't sure why he wanted to keep this a secret, but she nodded her head.

"You're definitely not a burden, but if that's what you want then so be it," she told him while placing her other hand on top of his. Ringabel let out a small sniffle and wiped away a stray tear.

The two once again sat in silence and listened to the quiet patter of the rain as it fell outside. Edea was still a bit taken aback by everything she had just been through, and she was frightened by what it could mean in the future. Even if she was there for Ringabel when he got like this, she knew now that she couldn't just magically fix things. If there was just one incident with her gone, she could lose him forever. She tried to not tear up at the thought of it.

Ringabel seemed to notice her distress, as he wrapped his arm around her and kept her close. She could now feel that he was a bit damp from the rain, but there wasn't much they could do about it now. She noticed his eyes were still red from all of the crying.

"Ringabel... I... Can I talk to you about something?" she hesitantly asked him. She knew what she was about to do was a bit risky, but it was worth a shot. He once again glanced over at her.

"What is it, Edea? Are you doing alright?" he asked in response, a bit worried his distress had caused her major emotional pain. Edea nodded her head.

"I'm fine, I just want to ask you if you... Remember something," she told him. Ringabel tensed a bit and Edea started to worry more.

"From our journey... Or from my previous life...?" he quietly asked. Edea held her breath for a moment and hoped she didn't set him off again.

"I know you want to forget your life as Alternis, and... I know I'm not the exact Edea you grew up with, but... Do you remember when we were kids, the night we learned you didn't like sweets?" she asked. Ringabel furrowed his brow a bit before stopping and nodding.

"I do... I broke one of Mahzer's best plates, and I remember your father's look of betrayal as we went back to my room. I also remember you were quite chubby back then," he mentioned before chuckling a bit. Edea huffed in response.

"At least I wasn't the one who locked himself in the closet when playing hide and seek!" she whined. Ringabel's chuckles turned into a bit of laughter as he remembered the incident. Edea could see he was starting to smile.

"Yes, that was quite a predicament for me, wasn't it? You and Kamiizumi spent the entire day trying to locate me before your parents came home, and when you finally did I had fallen asleep," Ringabel mused between his laughter. Edea smiled and laughed as well.

"And then there was the time we wanted to play a prank on Einheria, but she found out and made us do laps as punishment!" Edea mentioned while moving a bit. Ringabel nodded his head and kept smiling, but he was obviously a bit confused by the subject.

"Yes, Edea. I remember all of this, but... Why are you bringing this up now?" he asked in hopes of clarification. Edea took both of Ringabel's hands and held them in her own.

"I know there's no miracle cure for your depression, Ringabel, but I wanted to remind you that there has still been happiness in your life... You have happy memories, and we've done so much together... And I want to make more happy memories with you!" she told him. Ringabel was taken aback by her sudden statement and had become a bit flustered.

"Edea, I... I..." he mumbled in attempts to form some sort of sentence. Edea squeezed his hands tighter and held them closer to her.

"I care about you, Ringabel... I care about you so much that I will do anything for you! I want to help, I want to be the one you go to for help instead of the alcohol! Ringabel, I... I..." she trailed off before she could finish. She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks again and couldn't bring herself to look Ringabel in the eyes. The two had fallen into silence again, and it took a bit for Ringabel to finally say something.

"Thank you... Edea..." he whispered to her while pulling her into a tight embrace. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he was crying again. Returning his embrace, Edea buried her face in his chest and let her own tears fall.

"I promise, Ringabel... I promise I will help you..." she quietly mumbled. Ringabel didn't say anything in response, but kept his arms tightly wrapped around her. She could hear his heart beating.

There was something comforting about listening to the soft thumps over and over, and just hearing them made Edea relax. It gave her a sense of security and reminded her he was still there with her, even if things were difficult right now. He had been through so much in his life, but his beating heart proved he was so much stronger than all of it. Even if Edea didn't understand his pain, she did understand one thing: Ringabel was alive and here with her.

"You really should go back to bed now, Edea," Ringabel mentioned to her as she snuggled closer to him. "It's late and you need to rest if you want to function properly tomorrow."

"Mmm.. You sure you want me to?" she asked while yawning. She was starting to have a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"Yes, Edea. I'll be alright. Can you make it back to your room on your own?" he asked. Edea nodded but didn't move. The gentle rocking of the waves were slowly lulling her back to sleep, and Ringabel's arms felt better than any bed. She felt warm and comfortable, and the best part was he'd still be with her in the morning. Even with everything they had been through, Edea didn't want to have it any other way.

"Ringabel... Can you... Promise me something...?" Edea sleepily mumbled as she started to doze off. She could feel Ringabel reaching over to the control panel to put the ship on auto-pilot.

"What is it, Edea?" he asked while pushing a few buttons and adjusting the blanket. Edea snuggled up to him as much as she could as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Promise me... You'll stay with me... Until the end..." she managed to whisper. She could just barely make out a response as she fell into her slumber.

"I... I promise you... My beautiful, sleeping angel..."

**Author's Note:**

> It's been quite some time since I originally posted this fic on Tumblr, but seeing as it was one of my first longer fics I was very proud of it at the time. Looking back, there's quite a few things I would consider changing, but it has been left mostly untouched over the past two and a half years to help me see how much I've improved.


End file.
